BASIC BIOLOGY &

PHYSIOLOGY

BMV 703

Lecture-V: DNA
Course Instructor: Jayanta Bhattacharyya
 Central Dogma

DNA ---------→ RNA---------→Protein.

This unidirectional flow equation represents the Central
Dogma (fundamental law) of molecular biology.

This is the mechanism whereby inherited information is

used to create actual objects, namely enzymes and
structural proteins.

An exception to the central dogma is that certain viruses

(retroviruses) make DNA from RNA using the enzyme
reverse transcriptase.
 Gene Expression

Genes are DNA sequences that encode proteins (the

gene product)

Gene expression refers to the process whereby the

information contained in genes begins to have effects
in the cell.

DNA encodes and transmits the genetic information

passed down from parents to offspring.
 Genetic code

• The alphabet of the genetic code contains only four

letters (A,T,G,C).

• A number of experiments confirmed that the genetic code

is written in 3-letter words, each of which codes for
particular amino acid.

• A nucleic acid word (3 nucleotide letters) is referred to as

a codon.
Codon chart
 Nucleic acids

• Principle information molecule in the cell.

• All the genetic codes are carried out on the

nucleic acids.

• Nucleic acid is a linear polymer of

nucleotides
 Nucleotides
• Nucleotides are the unit structure of nucleic
acids.
• Nucleotides composed of 3 components:
• Nitrogenous base (A, C, G, T or U)
• Pentose sugar
• Phosphate
 Nitrogenous bases

• There are 2 types:

• Purines:
• Two ring structure
• Adenine (A) and Guanine (G)

• Pyrimidines:
• Single ring structure
• Cytosine (C) and Thymine (T) or Uracil (U).
Nucleotide bases
 Types of Nucleic acids
There are 2 types of nucleic acids:
1. Deoxy-ribonucleic acid (DNA)
• Pentose Sugar is deoxyribose (no OH at 2’ position)
• Bases are Purines (A, G) and Pyrimidine (C, T).
2. Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
• Pentose Sugar is Ribose.
• Bases are Purines (A, G) and Pyrimidines (C, U).
 Linear Polymerization of Nucleotides
• Nucleic acids are
formed of nucleotide
polymers.
• Nucleotides polymerize
together by phospho-
diester bonds via
condensation reaction.
• The phospho-diester
bond is formed
between:
• Hydroxyl (OH) group
of the sugar of one
nucleotide.
• Phosphate group of
other nucleotide
 Polymerization of Nucleotides

• The formed polynucleotide chain

is formed of:
• Negative (-ve) charged
Sugar-Phosphate backbone.
• Free 5’ phosphate on one
end (5’ end)
• Free 3’ hydroxyl on other
end (3’ end)
• Nitrogenous bases are not in
the backbone
• Attached to the backbone
• Free to pair with
nitrogenous bases of other
polynucleotide chain
Polymerization of Nucleotides

Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides.

The nucleotides formed of purine or pyrimedine bases linked

to phosphorylated sugars (nucleotide back bone).

The bases are linked to the pentose sugar to form Nucleoside.

The nucleotides contain one phosphate group linked to the 5’

carbon of the nucleoside.

Nucleotide = Nucleoside + Phosphate group

The polymerization of nucleotides to form nucleic
acids occur by condensation reaction by making
phospho-diester bond between 5’ phosphate
group of one nucleotide and 3’ hydroxyl group of
another nucleotide.

Polynucleotide chains are always synthesized in

the 5’ to 3’ direction, with a free nucleotide being
added to the 3’ OH group of a growing chain.
Complementary base pairing
It is the most important structural feature of nucleic acids

It connects bases of one polynucleotide chain (nucleotide

polymer) with complementary bases of other chain

Complementary bases are bonded together via:

 Double hydrogen bond between A and T (DNA), A and
U (RNA) (A═T or A═U)
Triple H-bond between G and C in both DNA or RNA
(G≡C)
Base pairing
 Significance of complementary
base pairing
The importance of such complementary base
pairing is that each strand of DNA can act as
template to direct the synthesis of other strand
similar to its complementary one.

Thus nucleic acids are uniquely capable of

directing their own self replication.

The information carried by DNA and RNA

direct the synthesis of specific proteins which
control most cellular activities.
 DNA structure
DNA is a double stranded molecule
consists of 2 polynucleotide chains
running in opposite directions.

Both strands are complementary to each

other.

The bases are on the inside of the

molecules and the 2 chains are joined
together by double H-bond between A
and T and triple H-bond between C and
G.

The base pairing is very specific which

make the 2 strands complementary to
each other.
 RNA structure
It is formed of linear polynucleotide

It is generally single stranded

The pentose sugar is Ribose

Uracil (U) replace Thymine (T) in the pyrimidine

bases.

Although RNA is generally single stranded, intra-

molecular H-bond base pairing occur between
complementary bases on the same molecule
(secondary structure)
 Types of RNA

• Messenger RNA (mRNA):

• Carries genetic information copied from DNA in the form of a series
of 3-base code, each of which specifies a particular amino acid.

• Transfer RNA (tRNA):

• It is the key that read the code on the mRNA.
• Each amino acid has its own tRNA, which binds to it and carries it to
the growing end of a polypeptide chain.

• Ribosomal RNA (rRNA):

• Associated with a set of proteins to form the ribosomes.
• These complex structures, which physically move along the mRNA
molecule, catalyze the assembly of amino acids into protein chain.
• They also bind tRNAs that have the specific amino acids according
to the code.
 RNA structure
• RNA is a single stranded polynucleotide
molecule.

• It can take 3 levels of structure;

• Primary: sequence of nucleotides
• Secondary: hairpin loops (base pairing)
RNA structure

Transfer RNA (tRNA) structure

 DNA replication
A biological process of producing two identical replicas
of DNA from one original DNA molecule.

Anti parallel strands replicated simultaneously

Leading strand synthesis continuously in 5’– 3’
Lagging strand synthesis in fragments in 5’-3’